An Airports Council International (ACI) World report maintains June global passenger traffic declined 85.6 percent, noting the figure served as an improvement to the 91.3 percent May decline.
“In the early days of the crisis, there were predictions that June would be the turning point with the recovery of the aviation industry beginning,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said regarding the COVID-19 impact. “In fact, June results shows only a slow recovery in domestic markets in China and the United States while the international passenger segment continued to be practically non-existent, heavily affecting the financial results of the airports and postponing the recovery.”
The ACI indicated global passenger traffic continued to decline, falling by another six percentage points compared to the prior month to 58.5 percent for the first six months of the year. The 12-month rolling average for the global industry continued to move further into negative territories and was recorded at 27.3 percent by the end of June.
Meanwhile, officials revealed air freight continued to be less impacted by the pandemic compared to the passenger market.
“The recovery of air travel is crucial in the wider global economic recovery, but, to succeed, it will need passengers to have confidence in the industry’s focus on their health and welfare and for governments to pursue harmonized, proportionate, evidence-based health measures,” de Oliveira said.
ACI has urged governments to follow a consistent protocol for testing implemented only when necessary and as an alternative to what the organization deemed broad-brush requirements for quarantine.